"Killer Bees" in North
America

-
An aggressive strain of honey bee -

Summary: So called "killer bees" are
in reality a highly aggressive strain of the familiar
honey bee that was accidentally released into Brazil
about 60 years ago. These more aggressive bees have been
moving north ever since and now occur throughout the
southern US.

Jack DeAngelis, PhDOSU Ext. Entomologist (ret.)

The
term "killer bee" refers to a strain of highly
aggressive honey bee originally collected in Africa
in the 1950's and brought to Brazil for research
purposes. Years later the African strain bee
colonies were accidentally released from the
research apiary and multiplied rapidly in the
tropical climate of central Brazil around the
facility.

Where do killer bees
occur in the US?

Since their accidental
release the African strain has breed with native
strains producing an "Africanized" strain of
aggressive and highly territorial bees. Africanized
bee colonies have slowly displaced native honey bees
wherever they occur together. Africanized bee
colonies have moved steadily north eventually
reaching the southwestern US in the 1990's. They now
occur throughout the southwestern US from southern
California, Nevada, Arizona, southern
New Mexico, southwest Texas and as far
east as southern Florida. New Africanized
hives are found further north each year.

Identification of
Africanized honey bees

In the US, our native
honey bee is actually a strain that originated in
Europe and hence is called the European
honey bee (Apis
mellifera). Africanized honey bees are the
same species and are nearly identical to their
European cousins. It takes an expert and a
microscope to tell the two bees apart. What
distinguishes European from African strains is their
behavior. The African strain, and Africanized
colonies, exhibit extreme aggression when the hive
is disturbed. The European strain is much, much less
aggressive in defense of the hive.

Stings from Africanized
bees are individually no
more dangerous than those from European bees,
since they are nearly identical. The difference is in
the number of stings that one is likely to receive
during any encounter.

How far will they
spread?

Nobody is certain how far
north "killer bees" will eventually move. The two
strains easily interbreed so colonies can be become
more aggressive over time as more and more of the
aggressive traits are breed into the European strain.
Many researchers
believe that the southern US will dominated by the
more aggressive bees while the northern states will
remain the mostly non-aggressive, native strain. There
will likely be a transition zone between the two
regions where individual hives will be a mix of
aggressive and non-aggressive bees.

Control of killer bees

Homeowners should never
attempt to control any bee hive. If you live in an
area where Africanized colonies have been confirmed
you should consult with local experts about removal of
threatening hives. If you live in areas outside the
reported range of Africanized colonies you can contact
a local beekeeper and they will likely be happy to
safely remove the hive.

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